A site devoted to a mixed bag of topics, with an emphasis on professional and amateur sports in Regina, Saskatchewan. We also preview the weekly lineup of guests for the Locker Talk on Access 7 tv sports talk show.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Congratulations and best wishes to CKRM's Willy Cole as he steps away from the microphone at the end of a 33 year broadcasting career. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Willy during my 8+ years with Harvard Broadcasting.

With Willy packing it in, does that make Z99's CC the dean of Regina morning radio announcers? Go figure.

Which Regina radio morning show do you listen to? Or are you a morning dial scanner?

I just ordered a Synergi Sirius receiver to listen to satellite radio at home.

Now, I have to remember not to have Howard Stern on when the J-man is around! I've almost made that mistake a few times while driving around. Not good!

Was the near-death experience in round one enough to propel the Vancouver Canucks through the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs? I think the Canucks will get past Nashville, but I don't like their chances against Detroit or San Jose.

Actually, that battle between the Wings and Sharks might be the real Stanley Cup final.

Would Pittsburgh still be playing if Crosby and Malkin were healthy?

Hey Brian Burke: the Tampa Bay Lightning managed to go from Cup champs, to cellar-dwellers, and back to elite team status in seven years. How's Toronto's 45-year rebuilding plan coming along?

The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers took an offensive lineman with the final pick of the first round of the NFL draft last night.

Investing in players who can keep star quarterback Aaron Rodgers healthy isn't such a bad idea.

Aaron Rodgers, you complete me.

Brett Favre? Thanks for the memories.

The Major A Orioles open the North Regina Little League season tomorrow morning. Should be interesting, considering we've averaged only six players at each of our practices this week!

It's the last day for the perogy sandwich special at the Delia Llama. Three guesses what I'll be having for lunch today. Keep the defibrillators on standby!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The sun has been shining and the snow is finally (almost) all gone. Not sure if there's anything to complain about!

Cheers

City Wide Security. Guy is a good...well, guy. And I'm looking forward to having an alarm system for my garage. Now if only there was a device that vaporized graffiti artists. I'd definitely invest in that!

Advanced Auto Cleaning. They're not cheap, but Chris and his crew do a great job. And Chris' son was the star goalie on the provincial pee-wee hockey champs. Trust me, he'll tell you about it!

Jeers

Judging by the amount of "art" around the city this spring, I would say the city's graffiti bylaw has been a bit less than an overwhelming success.

London Life. Seriously, when it takes three months (and counting) to process an insurance claim, you have problems.

That's it for now. I'll resist the urge to jeer (or cheer) the Regina Pats until I know more about what direction the club is taking in regards to the 2011/12 season. But at this point, I certainly understand the frustration many fans are feeling - and expressing.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Regina Pats offered an olive branch to a disgruntled fan base by canning assistant coach Shaun Sutter and goaltending coach Ryan Cyr today. The move comes in the wake of a third straight non-playoff season for the country's oldest major junior hockey franchise. Presumably, head coach Curtis Hunt has dodged the axe swung today by general manager Chad Lang.

Anyone who expected a major shakeup within the organization probably should have known better. And hey fans - don't forget the Pats early bird season ticket deadline is only two days away!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Legends Sports Memorabilia. Trent runs a must-see shop for any die hard sports fan. I picked up some Packers gear last weekend, and can definitely see myself returning. Often.

Air Canada (how often do they get praise?). Thanks for the seat sale, now make sure you get the J-man and I to and from our summer vacation smoothly!

Press Box Sports Bar. Excellent food and service the past couple of visits.

Jeers

The state of Regina's "roads". Granted, the weather hasn't been conducive to road repairs, but the streets really are in sad shape.

The grand Regina revitalization plan. I'll gladly cheer (loudly) for this plan, which includes a new stadium/entertainment facility, once you can show me the funding is in place. If it happens, it will be a fabulous thing for this city. But until the funding is secure, it's just a bunch of pretty drawings.

Whatever has caused my satellite radio to conk out. Until I can get it fixed next week, I'm stuck listening to Regina and Moose Jaw radio. The horror!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Just another manic Monday (whoa, whoa). You're welcome for planting that Bangles song in your head for the rest of the day!

The Chicago Blackhawks are going to bow out of the Stanley Cup playoffs with little more than a whimper. Go figure.

Actually, it's not that hard to figure out. They're up against an excellent opponent, and this year's Hawks have none of the grit that carried the team to the championship last year.

Speaking of bowing out with a whimper, what is going on with the Boston Bruins? The Montreal Canadians have owned the B's in the first two games of their series, with the next two being played in Habville.

Carey Price is starting to look like a championship-calibre goaltender. So is Roberto Luongo, for that matter.

Could there be a chance of two Canadian teams meeting in the Cup final? Wouldn't that be something.

Early prediction for Canada's goaltender lineup for the next Winter Olympics. Luongo, Price and Marc Andre Fleury.

Chunky Adams as an Edmonton Eskimo? Weird.

So, if the Riders cut Gainer - will Eric Tillman sign him too?

Is there going to be an NFL season this year? I hope so, but if not, that just means the Packers will hang onto their title a little longer.

Memo to members of the sports media: please learn the difference between a strike and a lockout. The current situation in the NFL is a lockout. The two words are not interchangeable.

The J-man will wear the colours of the Orioles in the 2011 North Regina Little League season. The poor O's will be stuck with yours truly as an assistant coach.

For those keeping score at home (as if!), Jacob and I are going for our third straight league title this year. The pressure is on!

I finally entered the doors of Legends Sports Memorabilia on the weekend. I can see me returning many times. Trent has a pretty fine set-up, with something for every sports fan!

Looking for a little slice of heaven? Try the perogy sandwich at the Deli Lama. I don't even want to know how many calories were in that thing!

The highlight of the show - perhaps of my Access career - was the point in the show (keeping in mind we were on location at the Credit Union Eventplex) when a drunk douche bag stumbled onto the set and refused to leave. Classy. Apparently said douche works at Canadian Blood Services. It's comforting to think people like that are in charge of the country's blood supply!

Monday, April 04, 2011

Kind of an uneventful weekend (not that that's a bad thing!), so there really isn't an awful lot to blog about. Or is there?

Sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mandi Schwartz, a former star hockey player for the Notre Dame Hounds. Her public battle against cancer came to a very unfortunate end this weekend.

Wrestlemania? Meh! In hindsight, there were many better uses for the $65 investment required to watch that pay-per-view.

The food and company were top-notch though!

With the World Men's Curling Championships and the WCP (indoor soccer) Cup both underway this weekend, parking was a little dicey at Evraz Place. Still, you won't catch me complaining about having high-profile sporting events in our fair city.

Nothing against Jim Calhoun and UConn, but I'll be pulling for the Butler Bulldogs in tonight's final of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Memo to the folks at Gold's Gym South: the climate control system needs a little work. I swear it was at least 80-85 degrees in the gym on Friday night. Sweating while working out is good. Sweating while walking between machines and/or standing still? Not so much.

I decided to give the Petro-Can car wash on south Albert a try this weekend. Big mistake. Now I'm in the market for a rear wiper arm for my vehicle. Nice.

Was that the last of the snow for this season on the weekend? Given the way this winter played out, I wouldn't necessarily count on it!

They may not make the playoffs, but I think the Toronto Blue Jays will be highly watchable this season. The J-man and I may need to take in a game during our Ontario holiday, if time permits.